Awakening the Beast (11 page)

Another man appeared from behind the tree apparently listening to their conversation. He was a younger raven who had come of age before the invaders had come. Christopher did not know him that well. When Christopher looked at Jalisa he thought he saw something between the two of them. Jalisa had changed in the weeks they had been on their own. She was not so angry with the world and was willing to help out whenever he needed it. She was not about trying to twist him into being mates anymore. Maybe when they officially got their land back, he would make her his beta. It had been a while since a woman was second-in-command. Many of the council did not believe a woman was strong enough to earn the position, but he knew better. Many things had changed and were still changing. The old rules of their lives did not apply anymore.

“That’s wonderful. How many guards are there?” Christopher asked.

“I saw two vultures in the trees and two cougars guarding the entrance. I don’t think they think their prisoners will run away,” Tullin told him.

Jalisa glanced at Christopher. “They don’t know the forest the way we do. We have to start using it to our advantage. Come on, you remember how we’d get lost in the caves and find our way out?”

“It’s a risk, but it should work. Do you think the prisoners will be able to make it?”

“What are you talking about?” Tullin asked.

“There’s another way into the cave system where they have the prisoners. It’s a little tricky to get around in the dark. Jalisa and I used to do it all the time when we were little until my mother died. After that, things changed.”

“Can you get back in there?” Tullin asked.

“I can. We should go tonight. The clouds are coming in and the moon will be hidden. They won’t even know we’ve been there until we’ve gone.”

“You need to stay here and watch over the others. You’re our leader,” Jalisa said to him.

“No. I’m no leader if I do nothing. I’ve lead us to the end of the forest where I have left us to die. I won’t let that happen. I’m not going to sit around anymore. Things need to be done. This is the first step.” Christopher felt his resolve grow stronger. This was the start to making things right. If they were going to explore the cave at night, they were going to need a lamp. But it would be faster to get there on four legs and not two. He searched around his tent and found a small lantern they could use. He grabbed a piece of flint and steel he used to make a fire and placed it inside of the lantern.

“What’s that for?” Tullin asked.

“We’ll need to be able to see in the cave. It’s pitch dark,” he responded.

“I’ll carry it.” Jalisa said.

“Thank you.”

“Let’s go.”

He stripped off his clothes and let the wolf take over. It had been a while since he had run and it felt good to be covered in fur and not skin. With the beast out all his instincts were focused on getting his target. Jalisa ran next to him carrying the lantern between her teeth. He raced through the forest toward the back entrance to the cave sites further north, hearing the steady swish of Tullin’s wings above them.

They ran for an hour up the coast until they came to a spot where the cave system opened up. The entrance was overgrown with vines and other bramble. For a quick moment he returned to human form, lit the lantern, and handed it back to Jalisa.

“Will you be able to carry it now that it’s lit?” he asked.

“I can deal with burning my tongue if it means getting them out,”
she responded.

Christopher returned to wolf form and was about to slip inside, but Jalisa pushed him aside and went first to make sure it was safe. When she poked her head back out, he walked in behind her. The raven hopped in after them. From the faint light of the lantern in her teeth, he was able to see around him. The cave was narrower than what he remembered. There was enough room for him to crawl in human form if need be, but as a wolf they could easy make it through. He hoped the others would be able to walk, or at least shift, so that way they could all get out. This was going to work. It had to. Christopher took a deep breath and followed Jalisa lower into the earth. Water plopped from the ceiling onto them. The air was stale, but it was remarkable cool. After a while, they came to a three-way fork that went left, right, and then straight ahead.

“Do you remember which way to go?”
Jalisa turned her head in his direction.

Going straight would bring them to a dead end. He remembered that. He sniffed the right and the air was rank. It was the left.
“This way,”
he gestured to her.

They continued down the small passage until it opened up enough that he was able to turn back into his human form. Jalisa followed, but Tullin remained a raven. In the large cavern, he heard the echoing of running water. It was from an underground river. One tributary fed the pool where he and Illiana had liked to go in the past. He waded through the darkness into the water. It chilled him to the bone, but it only came up to his knees. Following the river, it led them into a great cavern with small hole above that let in some faint light. The moonlight hit it just right and he could see the stalagmites and stalactites that grew up and down from the cave floor. During the day this place was completely different. Jalisa set the lamp down so they could see a little bit more. Before him was a small passageway that he had to squeeze through. Christopher gritted his teeth.

“Good luck.”

“Thanks.” He moved a few rocks out of the way and shimmied inside. He had to tuck his elbows into his body and crawl slowly through the constricted, dry, passage. At one point he came to as space where the rocks scraped his shoulders and cut into his stomach, but he pushed onward. A little blood and pain was worth what he would accomplish. He drew in a deep breath and crept forward for what seemed like hours in the dark until he heard someone whispering. As he got closer and had more light, he counted who was in the cave. There were five other people, two wolves and three ravens, besides the raven priestess and Marshall, his father’s friend. Coret was closest to him. He slipped along the cave wall until he was close to her, but still in the shadows.

“Coret.”

She glanced over at the rest of the people and toward the entrance to see if anyone was looking. He moved a little closer and prayed she would see him in the darkness.

“Christopher?”

“Yes.”

Coret slid closer to the back of the cave. It did not seem that anyone noticed her moving. “How did you get in here?”

“That doesn’t matter. Are you being watched?”

She peered around the curve of the cave. “A couple of them are asleep and the others are patrolling.”

“Are any of you hurt? Can you all walk?”

“Yes. They seem to think we’re important or something.”

“You are. Good. Gather everyone and tell them to come on back here. I’m here to break you out.”

“I’ll be right back.”

Christopher watched Coret approach the other occupants of the cave. He moved a little farther back into the darkness so he would not be seen. One of the other ravens, a smaller girl came first. “Go to the back of the cave and you’ll see a hole. You have to crawl through it until you come to the other side. Someone will be there waiting for you. Understand.”

She looked at him and then the hole. Her lip quivered as though she were going to cry. Christopher smiled. “It’s okay. I know it’s scary, but I’m here to take you back home. You’ve been brave so far. Can you be brave now?”

She nodded and disappeared into the darkness. Another one came back to him, an older man who was another wolf. “How do we get out of here?”

“Through the hole in the back. Keep going until you come out on the other side. Jalisa’ll be waiting for you.”

He backed away from the hole. “I can’t go into the dark. I can’t.”

“It’s the only way out of here undetected. You can do this.”

It took a moment, but the other man finally went through. Christopher guided the others until they were gone and only Coret was left. She was coming back through to meet him when a shadow passed across the entrance.

“You there. What are you doing?” the guard asked.

“Go,” Christopher instructed her. “Nothing to worry about,” Christopher called.

The guard slipped into the cave and came closer. He glanced around the empty cave and realized that his captives were all gone. “What are you doing here?”

He walked closer and opened his arms. “I’m here to help my brothers.” The other turned to alert the other guards. Christopher leapt and landed on the man’s back. They both went to the ground. Beneath him the man was changing. He struggled, got one of his hands free, and swiped it across Christopher’s face. The man’s claws dug into his forehead and slashed across his right eye and cheek. Christopher growled in pain and without any hesitation he slipped into the wolf and locked his jaws around the cougar’s neck. He squeezed until he tasted blood and the man below him lay still.

His rage passed and he switched back to human form. He dragged the lifeless body farther into the darkness so no one would find it. Coret was waiting for him by the hole. She went onto her stomach and wiggled in. He glanced behind him to make sure no one else was there and felt a little sympathy for the cougar he had just killed. It passed after a moment because there had to be bloodshed in war. He went into the small tunnel and focused on the future. Christopher hoped things were tuning around. The cougars and vultures would come for them after they discovered the prisoners were gone. He would be ready.

* * * *

Illiana woke up with a start. The images from her dream lingered and disturbed her. She glanced at the campsite and saw everyone else was asleep except Daruk. He poked at the fire with a stick watching the ashes dance into the sky. Dawn had begun to break on the horizon. They had decided that instead of flying directly over the lake they would stay close to shore. Besides, Daruk was not a large fan of water, but they were moving faster than they would have done walking and making great time.

“It must’ve been a powerful dream to wake you.”

“I was dreaming about my other mate. Christopher was in the forest and he was so heartbroken. He wanted to give up, but his second in command gave him some news about freeing some captives. He went in and saved them.”

“That is a good thing, isn’t it?” Daruk asked.

“Yes, but there are so many things happening. There are just…I don’t know what’s going on.” She raked her fingers through her hair and tried to determine what was going on with her dreams.

“Your dreams are coming true more and more, yes?”

“At first they were just the forest on fire and things lingering in the darkness. Now I realize they were the vultures and the cougars. My mother said they set the aeries on fire and it burned our main gathering place spreading to the forest. Other dreams followed where I was running through the woods and the trees were on fire, but I’m not sure if it was the same dream. I’ve dreamt about the mountains rumbling and you singing. Now I’m seeing what’s occurring to Christopher from his perspective. I don’t know how I’m doing it.”

“You’re a shaman. You said yourself you were a healer, but I think you’re more than that. I don’t know much about spirits, or the way of the gods or elements the way the priests do, but I can tell there’s something special about you. Whoever has you for a mate is going to have to cherish you. Those two certainly do. And you said there was another who you were going back to. Would you consider a fourth?”

“Please don’t tell me you’ve been thinking about asking me that all night? What about sleeping?” Illiana hoped he would not be disappointed with her answer.

“I haven’t slept. I probably won’t for a few days. After such a long slumber, I’ll be up for a long time. And yes, I’ve been pondering asking you for some time. You’re quite a rare beauty. More than anything, I’d love to have you for a mate. I don’t mind sharing you.”

There was a time she never thought she would ever have a mate, now she was being faced with having a fourth. “As flattered as I am about your offer, I can handle two mates. When it comes to three, I’m not sure how Christopher’s going to react if he sees me with another man.”

“How do you know this other man hasn’t already taken a mate? Have you thought of that?”

“I have and I know he hasn’t.”

“Well, the offer still stands. At the very least you and I are friends for life. The word of a dragon is unbreakable. I can assure you that our people will come to a mutual partnership together. I will see it happen”

“I thought you were the exiled son. Your people will be very surprised to see you. Why would great dragons want to trade or even have a link to a people who are so far away?”

“We dragons always honor a promise. Once you retake your land, you’re going to need a little bit of help to get everything back up and running.”

Illiana gazed into the fire and thought about what he said. She could lose herself in the twisting flames. Their power reached out to her. Beyond the fire, another more powerful spirit called to her drawing her eye to Daruk. “Can I ask you something?”

He opened his hands. “Ask me anything, beautiful lady.”

“You said that you breathed fire in dragon form. Is it a living part of you?”

“Ahh…yes, the fire within me is similar to lava. It lives and breathes, but I can’t talk to it. At least not the way you do with the elementals. Could we try something?” Daruk got up and knelt beside her. He lifted her hand and placed it on his chest.

The instant her palm touched his flesh, the fire inside called to her. Illiana was not able to hear its voice the way she could with the fire that burned before her. She could also feel the beat of his heart underneath her palm. It was slower than what she was used to, but she detected another heartbeat. Her eyes widened.

“You have two hearts.”

“Yes. It’s because I’m so big. Do you feel the fire within? It responds to you in ways that I’ve never felt it do before. Not except with another of my own kind. That’s one reason I feel this attraction to you. I don’t mean to be so forward, but you can understand that after being away from my kind for so long and then having this…it makes me all the more want to sweep you off your feet and offer you anything to share your affection.”